International Flavors Pt. 02

She was wearing a thin-ribbed knit, gray cardigan sweater over a white silk blouse, with a pleated, gray skirt, and black patent leather heels that featured gold buckles on the sides. Her outfit suggested quite a professional and business-like image were it not for two things.

First, that hairdo that was so provocative that no man – no matter how detached he thought he was – could possibly ignore, along with her pair of black, silk stockings that were more provocative the closer you looked them. Just as they disappeared under her skirt, I noticed their tops – they were thigh-highs that were accented with lace ties that seemingly bound them to her slender upper legs. With that startling hairstyle and those sexy leggings, the whole effect screamed naughty schoolgirl.

After a moment or two, I regained my grip on my emotions, and said, "Well, what would you like to do? Do you want to just talk for a little while – you mentioned over the phone on Monday that you want to discuss ‘all of the important things' tonight? Or are you hungry? Do you want to walk over to the restaurant now?"

"To be honest with you, Jason, I could really go for some wine first, and, yes, Iamreally hungry. They served some sandwiches at the office during my meeting with the corporate people, but honestly, I felt like I was in a fish bowl the whole time, and I didn't want to make a pig of myself in front of all of them, so I didn't really eat very much at all. Besides, it's after 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, so I'm feeling pretty famished. I haven't really had anything substantial since about 6:00 this morning."

"Well let's go then! I thought you might like this place a couple of minutes from here calledThe Grill on the Alley. As I mentioned last week, they serve steaks and seafood, and I thought it was pretty good the one time that I ate there. Of course, that was probably three or four years ago. I'm hoping it's still good. I took a chance on what you might want to do and made a reservation for 6:00, but I'm pretty sure they can get us in a little early."

"That sounds wonderful, Jason!" and then she added, "It is so lovely to see you, again!" She lifted herself up onto the tips of her toes and craned her neck up to kiss my cheek again. Then, I offered her my arm, and we walked out the front doors of the hotel and turned left. We walked to the first stop light, and turned up South Market Street. The restaurant was two block north, on the corner of Market and Paseo de San Antonio.

When we got to the restaurant, they were able to seat us immediately, and Caitlynn asked me to pick out a nice of bottle of wine. I selected a Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands just down the road from our area. It proved to be a good selection, and Caitlynn looked even more gorgeous when the first glass of wine hit her empty stomach, eliciting a warm blush from her neck and face. We both ordered salads, and I selected a New York steak, and Caitlynn had the Pan-seared Sea Scallops. We shared a slice of Key Lime pie for dessert. The food was excellent, and throughout dinner, we made small talk.

We polished off the dessert, and when the waiter left the bill, Caitlynn tried to grab it. "I've got this, Caitlynn," I said, snatching the black vinyl folder that the waiter had left, before she had a chance to. She tried to argue with me, explaining that her company would cover her meal with their per diem reimbursement, and that it made more sense for her to pay than for me, but I told her that I didn't care – that just seeing her was well worth the price of a meal. Finally, she relented and thanked me.

I pulled out my wallet, removed my debit card, and placed it in the folder. The waiter came back a minute or two later, and picked up the folder saying, "I'll be right back with this."

As we were finishing the last of our wine, we finally got around to a serious discussion. "So, Jason, I was right – they offered me the job today, and tomorrow I think I'm going to accept it." She proceeded to tell me how her day had gone, and what was on the agenda for tomorrow.

"Congratulations, Caitlynn!" I smiled broadly. "I'm so proud of you! I just know they made the right decision. And even though I know I'm being absurdly selfish in saying this, I want you to know how happy this makesme!" I raised my glass of wine in a toast, "To new beginnings," I said, and as I did, a beaming Caitlynn delicately clinked the side of her glass against the rim of mine.

"Well, thank you, but the only decision that really I care about is yours! I want you to know that I love you, Jason. I have for a long time. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you that, and I'm terribly ashamed that I almost lost you by not speaking to you for so long. I was second-guessing myself all that time, even though I thought you cared for me as much as I did for you, but the longer I waited, the harder it became to ring you. At first, I just assumed that you had moved on. Then, stupidly, I thought there might be someone else for me, but, Jason, that man lacked the capacity that you have for love. That's what I finally figured out!"

"It's not your fault, Caitlynn. I think it's mine. Idolove you, and I have from the very beginning, from the first time we were together. But I was afraid, Caitlynn, afraid that I would get hurt again, and something inside me made me want to protect myself. Our defense mechanisms are incredibly strong! Sometimes it takes a lot to overcome them. I apologize that I felt like I needed to protect myself from loving you. That was huge mistake. I know that now."

"That doesn't really doesn't matter anymore, Jason, but I want to be completely upfront in what I'm asking of you. I don't think I'm being too over the top with my expectations – I just want to know if you're willing to commit to an exclusive relationship with me."

I didn't hesitate to answer. "Absolutely," I said with gravitas. "There's no question; I'm ready."

"How about, what was her name – Luna? How does she fit into this, Jason?"

"I'm guessing that she won't care one way or the other. She's not speaking to me anymore."

She seemed surprised. "Why is that?"

"Well... she overheard me tell you that I loved you, and that pretty much sealed the deal! She's done with me for good. You're the only one now, Caitlynn – I know I don't deserve you, but you're my last chance to find something really good, something beautiful in this world. Forgive me, I know that's maudlin, and forgive me if..." I paused. I was staring at her now with childlike wonder. "... I don't know what to say right now, but... but, I just can't believe how beautiful you are!" I paused, and then added an illogical non sequitur. "When did you cut your hair?"

"Do you like it? It's not too much?"

"Oh, Caitlynn...." I couldn't even speak. I was too overcome... with her beauty, yes, but more importantly, with the possibility that someone could actually love me, and the fact that it was someone so undeniably beautiful and sexy made it all that much more implausible. Still, I could tell she knew that I had answered her question anyway.

"It was just about a month and a half ago. Right after I broke up with Daniel. I just wanted to change everything about myself, change it all radically, and that was easiest thing to do. It was shallow, but...." She paused for a long time and just stared at me. "I'm glad you like it, Jason, but I hope you like more about me than just that. Looks are so insignificantly superficial, though I have to admit that I still like hearing you tell me that I'm beautiful." She giggled, her feminine laughter spilling whimsically from some secret place inside.

What she had said unleashed a floodgate of emotions in me. Suddenly, I just started spewing every melodramatic, self-deprecating feeling that had been welling up inside me for a long, long time – every illogical sentiment, every indescribable speck and scrap of overblown self-awareness that had imprinted itself on me. I was not usually like this, and even when I was, I wasn't very good at it.

"Caitlynn, that's only a tiny part of how I feel about you. But first, I need tell you about myself – what I've learned about me. I want to tell you everything, everything I've done since you left and even before that. All of the stupid, self-indulgent things that I'm guilty of – all of the mistakes I've made, and why I think I made them, but the whole thing is so bizarre and incomprehensible that I don't think I could even find the words to describe it all to you." She was looking at me so intently now, her eyes boring deep into me, trying to understand what I was saying.

"I'm an idiot, Caitlynn. I'm such a flawed person that I can't believe that anyone would have me, much less someone like you! The way I've been acting – it was beyond superficial. But I'm done with it! I want you to know that. I'm done being that person! If there is anything that I want to avoid now, it is being that superficial jerk, and no one knows superficial jerks better than I do, because that's what I've been ever since my wife left me. Maybe that's why she left me!"

I paused and took a drink of my wine. The waiter returned and dropped off the little, black folder again. He smiled, bowed deferentially, and said politely, "Thank you so much. Enjoy the rest of your evening." I calculated the tip, added up the payment, took one of the receipts and placed it in my wallet, signed the other receipt, slipped it inside the little, black folder, pushed the folder to the edge of the table, and returned my debit card to my wallet. Then, I continued.

"I'll admit it's hard to see past your beauty, Caitlynn – youarestunning. But when I tell you you're beautiful, I'm trying my damnedest to see more than what's on the surface – I'm trying my best to look into your soul, and when I do, Caitlynn, that's whatIfinally figured out that I'm in love with – not your magnificent face, or your gorgeous hair, or your amazing body."

She smiled at me – smiled beatifically – and she reached across the table and grasped my right hand with both of hers. She wanted to touch me, touch some small part of me, and in so doing, touch all of me. My hand was the closest possibility.

"You know, Jason – you don't give yourself enough credit. I knew from the moment I first met you that you cared about me far more than you let on – and much more about me than just what was on the surface. I don't know why you think you're so defective, because you're not, you know." She finished the last of her wine.

"I wish that was true, Caitlynn, but if it was, I wouldn't have so many people who despise me right now. You told me over the phone that you knew that I had been ‘playing the field.' But it was far more than that, Caitlynn! I was playingallof the fields, and I was making an ass of myself in the process, and now I realize that I was doing all of that to mask the sad reality that no matter how many women I had, not one of them actually loved me!"

She didn't say anything for a long time, but as I stared into her eyes, I could see the emotions building up in her now. When she finally spoke, she had a hard time saying the words. "Well..." she responded softly, "I know that isn't true! I know for a fact thatoneof them loved you!" She had tears in eyes when she said it.

I couldn't speak for a long time. When I finally did, I said quietly, "I don't deserve you, Caitlynn, but, god knows, Idolove you. As stupid as I am,that, at least, is something thatIknow for a fact!" I smiled bleakly; then finished the last of my wine, and said, "Are you ready? You're probably really tired. Do you want to go back to the hotel now?"

She shook her head, and with tears running down her face, she stood up. I followed her lead, and when I did, she hugged me so tightly in the middle of the restaurant that I thought she might squeeze the breath right out of me, and then she kissed me, and I could taste her salty tears. And then she whispered almost inaudibly in my ear, "I'm not that tired!"

We walked out of the door of the restaurant hand-in-hand, but we hadn't made it more than a few feet out the door before we had our arms around each other, and then that wasn't enough! We had to stop four times to kiss and hug each other as we walked down Market Street. A five minute walk back to the hotel took us at least fifteen minutes!

We made it to Caitlynn's room on the sixth floor of theWestin. Her company had sprung for a fairly luxurious suite for her stay – the Sainte Claire, to be precise. It was an old hotel, but the view of downtown San Jose from the windows of that suite was one of the best in the entire city. The downtown lights bathed us in their glow, and as the multi-colored tones spread through the many windows in each of the suite's rooms, they created a romantic ambience.

It didn't take long before the ambience inspired us. As we entered the living area, we were all over each other. Twenty months of pent-up lust exploded from our overheated flesh in an uncontrollable barrage of hugging, kissing, licking, sucking, and playful biting, not to mention, some scratching, the latter of which was an unintended consequence of removing any impediments to our lovemaking as quickly as they could be discarded.

That meant pretty much any article of clothing that either of us encountered. That is, until my expedited removal of Caitlynn's sweater, blouse, and skirt revealed the sexy lingerie that they had so artfully concealed. As those provocative undergarments proved to be not a hindrance, but rather a stunning, visual facilitator of our lovemaking, most of it would remain, with a few minor adjustments, exactly where it was.

Caitlynn was wearing a black and gray, lace bustier that very nearly exposed her areolas and nipples. The bustier buttoned up the front and beneath it, Caitlynn wore matching crotchless lace panties that were suspended around her shapely hips by two slender strings. Her tits were bigger than I remembered them, as they bubbled out of the bustier, and her ass was fuller, more voluptuous than the last time I had seen this much of her. And instead of keeping her pussy completely shaved, as she had the last time I'd seen her, a small, wispy patch of light brown, pubic hair hovered above her vulva.

I left her black, silk stockings with the lace ties at the top and her black, patent leather heels exactly where they were. Now, I was standing in front of Caitlynn completely naked with my half-engorged cock hanging gaudily between my legs.

Her lingerie could not obscure several new tattoos, one of which made its first appearance when I removed her blouse. I noticed it as I unbuttoned the top of her bustier to reveal her beautiful tits. It consisted of an arching flow of cursive letters that began just under the outside edge of her right collarbone and followed the sweep of her bosom, ending at the place where her magnificent breast began it swell toward her erect and excited nipple. The tattoo read "What Has Been..."

It was an interesting phrase, and it was just enigmatic enough that I had to ask. It was sure to slow us down, but I figured we had most of the night anyway. Caitlynn had already explained to me that her real job in the morning was simply to give her bosses the answer they wanted to hear, and then to meet the various people with whom she would now be working. It didn't sound like it was too taxing a day.

From my perspective, I had already decided I wasn't going into work the next day. After everything I had been through over the past week, I needed a mental health day, and as I hadn't used a single sick day since the new CEO had taken overOccSafe, I figured I was entitled. Besides, I thought that knowing the answer to this little mystery was worth asking the question. "Caitlynn, that's a new tattoo, isn't it?"

"I thought you might ask about it," she answered grinning. "I got it yesterday. I wanted to be sure to get it done before I left New York. There's a story in this," she said, pointing to the words.

"Really? So tell me... what does it mean?"

"Well... after our last phone conversation – by the way, I want you to know that that moment was very important to me, Jason, important enough that I wanted to preserve it in some way – and a tattoo is a pretty permanent thing. It's just a reference to us, to our past together... and hopefully to our future. I thought maybe tomorrow you'd help me find a tattoo parlor here. I want to add another matching one over the other breast – I want it to read "...Will Be Again." I'm keen on the idea of having two matching tattoos, one from New York and one from California!"

"You got a tattoo for me?" I asked incredulously, and then it struck me, that that line sounded somewhat familiar. I took a guess. "Is that something Biblical? It sounds almost proverbial."

"Wow! Very good, Jason! Ecclesiastes! I didn't know you were such an astute Biblical scholar!"

"I'm not," I admitted. "I just thought it sounded familiar." Somehow the idea of Caitlynn wanting to immortalize our relationship in ink struck me as very sweet, sentimental, and passionate, despite the fact that I wasn't really a tattoo kind of guy.

I didn't own any tattoos myself. And though I thought that some of the more colorful ones that people had done were attractive enough – and that included pretty much all of Caitlynn's – word tattoos, I always thought, were a really bad idea, especially when people tattooed their lovers' names on themselves. There's nothing worse than having to break up with someone whose name is emblazoned in ink across your flesh!

But I liked this one, and not just because it was meant for me, but because it was cryptic and strangely poetic. Besides, its message was vague and mysterious enough that its permanence wasn't a risk. I didn't think that was an issue with Caitlynn, but.... "I like it, Caitlynn. I like it a lot! I'll be happy to go with you tomorrow to get that other tattoo done. I've already decided that I'm not going in to work tomorrow. I hope it's okay if I spend the night with you."

She smiled really brightly, but I could tell that our conversation had brought something else to mind. "Of course, Jason! I'm so horny right now that all I really want to do is to get into bed with you as soon as possible, but thereisanother favor that I want to ask of you first – if you're not going in to work tomorrow, would you consider helping me find a place to live? I thought that maybe I could look for someplace in the mountains, between here and Santa Cruz. The truth is, I don't want to be too far away from you, and I have a fair amount of money saved. I want to buy something. Would you? Would you help me?"

I didn't have to think very long about it – of course, I would help her. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that maybe I would go further than that – if that's what she wanted. Maybe Caitlynn's home could be our home. I could sell my house. I always wanted to live in the mountains. This might be perfect. We wouldn't have to be apart, and when I wasn't working, I would be able to get my ass out of Santa Cruz and away from all of the problems that I'd created there. No more uncomfortable encounters in pubs near my home.

So, I decide to just blurt it out. "Caitlynn, I know this sounds crazy, and maybe I'm moving way too fast, but what if we lived together? Somewhere between here and Santa Cruz? How does that sound? Either way, I'll take the day off tomorrow, and when you have to go into the office, I'll look around Lexington Hills and Glenwood – somewhere halfway in between. It's incredibly beautiful up there, so whether it's the two of us or just you, it'll be great! What do you think?"

We were both standing there nearly naked, but what I had said must have been the right thing, because Caitlynn hugged me really tightly, just as she had back in the restaurant. "Oh Jason, it sounds perfect! I was going to ask you if I could move in with you, or if you wanted to move in together, but I didn't want to rush you, and I didn't know if it would be a good idea for me to live in Santa Cruz. It's probably too far away from my office, and San Jose is probably too far away from yours. Besides, I decided I would love to live in the mountains. After New York, getting away from the rat race will be really good for me.... I think it will be good for you, too."